Book 6: Gregor the Overlander and the Return
by Head Auror Avenger of Five-0
Summary: What would have happened if Gregor and his family didn't move away, but they didn't go back to Regalia? Taking place 5 years after the last book, Gregor and Boot's go back to the Underlanders to once again save them. Gregor and Luxa are now 17 and Boots is 7. (Anybody hate the ending of the last book as much as I did?)
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:**

I own nothing. Suzanne Collins owns everything but the plotline.

 **Prologue**

 _5 Years Earlier_

" _What are we going to do now?" asked Gregor. "About Virginia?"_

" _I don't know. We'll work it out," said his dad._

" _I don't want to go to Virginia," said Lizzie, and they all looked at her in surprise._

" _But you said you did, Lizzie," said their mom. "You were the first one packing when I mentioned it."_

" _I don't want to go anymore. This is our home. I don't want to run away," said Lizzie. "Ripred says if you run from things that scare you they just chase you."_

" _What about you, Gregor?" asked his dad._

 _Gregor tried to imagine living in Virginia. Tried to imagine staying here. "It doesn't matter. I don't care where we live," he said. It would be awful wherever he was. He pulled his jacket off of the hook by the door. "I'm going for a walk."_

 _He hadn't had a destination in mind when he'd left, but in a few blocks he knew where he wanted to go. He checked his pocket. Thirty-five bucks. That would be plenty. He hopped on the subway and headed to the Cloisters. He had to see the stone knight who had gotten him through these last weeks._

 **A/N:**

Hey guys, let me know if this story sounds like it has any promise. I've been holding onto it for a while and don't know what others think about it.

Thanks,

HAA5O


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**

I own nothing. Suzanne Collins owns everything but the plotline.

 **Chapter 1: The Return**

Present Day

Gregor was sitting on the bench in the local park loosely watching his seven-year-old sister Boots running around with a group of other kids she just met. Instead of watching her, he kept glancing down at the flashlight connected to his belt. It had become a habit of his to keep a flashlight with him everywhere he went. It was there for more of a sentimental value. When he would look at it, he would think of Luxa, Ares, Luxa's cousins and grandpa, and the city Regalia. He would think of his old tutor and friend, his fellow rager, Ripred. He would think of the last time that he and his family came back from the Underworld, the discussion with the family about moving to Virginia.

Deep down he wished that they actually did leave for Virginia, but he was really grateful to his sister Lizzie for convincing his parents into staying in New York. To stay in New York in case the citizens of the Underworld needed them for any reason. He was beginning to feel as if they weren't going to need him ever again. That is, until he heard Boots squeal with delight.

"Gregor, look it's a big bug!" she cried at him. The way she cried it made his head snap up and look over at her. She was running to a giant rock that was tilted at an angle. Then it hit him, it wasn't just any rock. It was _the_ rock.

"No. Boots, get back here!" Gregor yelled, running after his sister. As he caught up to her, he grabbed hold of her arm and started pulling her away from the secret tunnel. "Mommy says we're not allowed down there any more, remember."

"No, I have to get to Temp! Temp needs me!" She started kicking at his legs, trying to get away from him. "I need to go help Temp!"

"How about this Boots, we'll come back here tomorrow, but with Lizzy or Daddy, then we can go down together. Lizzie likes Ripred, remember. We'll go down there with her," He remembered Ripred. He didn't really corporate until she was there. "But we have to get Mommy's permission first, ok?"

"No, no, no! I have to go help Temp now!" Boots said. She moved closer to him so she could start to kick his shins. "Temp needs my help."

Gregor was about to argue with her, but stopped when she said the four words that he was not prepared for. "And so does Luxa," she told him.

Luxa's name caused his heart to flip. He sucked in his breath, for he hadn't heard that name in over five years' time. It hurt him just as much as it did then, he still felt like there was a hole in his chest that hasn't healed over the years. The last time he had seen her was when he exited the Underland for the last time. She had come up with him to look at the stars. That was her first time seeing the night sky.

He was thinking of how much it hurt when he said goodbye to her for the last time when Boots interrupted his thought. "Gregor, we need to go now or it would be too late."

"Fine," he said releasing her as he reached into his pocket for his pone. "Let me call Daddy first." He pressed the speed dial button to call his dad, crossing his fingers hoping he would pick up. He didn't always answer his phone.

His father answered after the fifth ring, talking to Gregor with obvious worry in his voice. "Gregor! What's wrong? Is Boots hurt?"

"Nothing's wrong with us Dad, it's just that Boots saw a Crawler and she says that Temp and Luxa need our help. She says that if we don't go now, there may not be any way of saving Regalia." He called them Crawlers because that was the giant cockroaches' proper name down in Regalia, and his Dad knew that.

"Gregor, don't let her down there. You know that your mom will go berserk."

"I know Dad, but she hasn't said anything about the Crawlers for three years. If she's bringing it up now –" he trailed off, not bothering to finish his sentence.

"Then something is wrong down in Regalia." His Dad finished for him. "At least let Lizzie and I come with you."

"What about mom? Shouldn't she come too?"

"Yes she should. But she's at work right now."

"Dad she'll freak out if we're not there when she gets home. I'll take Lizzie. Ripred likes her. He can help, so can Hazard and Howard."

"But –"

"No Dad. Someone has to stay home and deal with Mom. Just send Lizzie down as fast as possible, please."

"Fine," he said with a sigh. "She'll be there in a few minutes." _Click_

Gregor put his phone back in his pocket and turned back to Boots. She was sitting on the ground looking up at him with a questioning look on her face, tugging on his pant leg every couple of seconds in an annoying manner.

"I'll tell you what's going to happen when Lizzie gets down here." He promised her, looking towards the secret entrance ahead of them. "Then after that, we're going back down."

 **Disclaimer:**

I own nothing. Suzanne Collins owns everything but the plotline.


	3. Chapter 2

_**Previously:**_

" _I'll tell you what's going to happen when Lizzie gets down here." He promised her, looking towards the secret entrance ahead of them. "Then after that, we're going back down."_

 **Disclaimer:**

I own nothing. Suzanne Collins owns everything but the plotline.

 **Chapter 2**

Lizzie came sprinting around the corner to the park about 10 minutes after he got off the phone with his Dad. Her face was all red and splotchy from running from their apartment to Gregor and Boots. A backpack was bouncing on her back as she ran.

"Dad told me that you guys were going to go to Regalia, but not much about the details. What's going on? You told us that you didn't want to go back." She said between gasps of air.

"I don't, it'll just hurt too much to leave again." He confessed to her. "But I have a reason for needing to go this time." He recounted what just happened with Boots. He told her his conversation with their Dad. "So that is why we have to go back, and I thought that maybe you wanted to go too. You know, to see Ripred."

She held her breath, think about what to say. It was obvious that she was struggling with the fact that she wanted to see Ripred, but not go against their mother's rules. Then she finally gave in to her emotions. "Okay then, let's go. It's a good thing a packed a bag of essentials before I left."

The three of them turned toward the hidden tunnel. With some effort, Gregor pulled the rock aside, and started to walk down the secret tunnel. When they all got through, he closed the barrier tightly.

"I don't remember that being so hard to open and close." He said, mainly to himself. He had obviously not said it quiet enough, seeing as Lizzie had responded to him.

"Well, you didn't really open or close it much before. And I don't think anybody has gone through her in a few years as it is." He chuckled at her, removing his flashlight from his belt. He made sure it worked and grabbed Boots's hands.

They followed the tunnel to the waterfall entrance the Underworld. He handed the flashlight to Lizzie, brought his free had to his lips and whistled as loud as he could. Hoping that one of the Fliers could hear his whistle.

Within only a few minutes, a streak of gold flashed in the sky. He felt a rush of relief. He hadn't been sure if any of the bats had heard him. But when he saw Aurora he immediately felt better. If she was here, Luxa wasn't far away either. He knew that Lizzie had seen her too, for she was squirming beside him, obviously anxious to see Ripred again.

"I will see Luxa again," he thought. He felt his heart swelled with hope. It wasn't until Aurora came closer to them that he realized that her back was bare of any rider. The three of them backed up so there was enough room for Aurora to land in front of them.

"Overlanders, how did you get down here? It is too dangerous for you to be here. Leave while you still can," Aurora exclaimed as she landed in front of them.

"Aurora, we can't go back. We're needed here. Boots got a message from Temp that the people of the Underland needed our help," Gregor replied back.

"How do you know my given name? How do you know the given name of the Crawlers princess?" Aurora questioned.

Gregor was about to reply when Lizzie cut him off. "We know the name of the Crawlers princess, because she is our sister."

Aurora looked confused as she asked, "Your sister? But if she is your sister, then that makes you…" she trails off, lost in thought. Her bat like features suddenly became really happy. "That makes you –" she said turning to Lizzie, "The code breaker!" She turned to Gregor, "And that makes you the savior of this land! That makes you the Warrior!"

"Yes Aurora, it is us. And we have returned to save Regalia once more," replied Gregor.

"Climb on quick, we cannot stay here long. There are new dangers here that you would not believe. Hurry! I will take you to Vikus! He will explain."

Gregor hurried forward pulling Lizzie and Boots with him. He lifted Boots and put her in front, while Lizzie climbed on behind her. Once he was settled behind Lizzie, Aurora shot up into the air. Boots and Lizzie both bent down to keep themselves from falling off.

But Gregor sat up straighter, so he could hear the wind rushing past his ears, so he could feel the sensation he had when flying his old bond Ares. The sensation of being free. The last time he felt like this was the final time he was alone with Luxa. That last time had kept him going for years. Even though he knew he was never going to come back down here, but he still hoped.

He sat like that for what felt like no time at all, but he crouched down once he saw the city walls. He couldn't believe he was here again. The city walls.

"I'm so close I can almost touch them," he thought. "I'm almost to you Luxa, I'm almost here."


	4. Chapter 3

_**Previously:**_

" _I'm so close I can almost touch them," he thought. "I'm almost to you Luxa, I'm almost here."_

 **Disclaimer:**

I own nothing. Suzanne Collins owns everything but the plotline.

 **Chapter 3**

Aurora screeched loudly, surprising Gregor. It took him awhile to realize it was the signal to the people of Regalia that Overlanders had arrived. He crouched low enough to reach Aurora's ears. "If we see Luxa at all while we are there, please don't tell her who we are. I want her to figure it out."

"I will do that for you, Warrior. I will keep your secret," she promised as they started to land on the dock of the underground river. The sound of the rushing river reminded him of the first night he was ever in the Underworld. It was a very frightening night for him. Rats had come and attacked him and Boots.

Once they landed a swarm of people around them. There were so many of them that Gregor and his sisters didn't have any room to get off Aurora.

There were a few faces he remembered. He saw Mareth, Howard, and Dulcet. He saw Vikus standing next to Howard. His hair was cropped just as short as he remembered, except now he held a cane in his hand, leaning on it greatly. A giant rat was standing towards the back of the crowd, there was a big scar going across his eye, with another perpendicular to the first. Gregor turned to help Lizzie down and she was practically bouncing in his arms.

Once she was on the ground, she shoved through the crowd to get to the giant rat. The people she pushed by started whispering to each other about how that was rude but stopped abruptly when they noticed where she was going.

"Ripred!" She yelled happily, launching herself to tackle the giant rat.

The surprise and shock were easily seen on Ripred's face as he asked, "Do I know you?"

"Ripred, it's me! It's Lizzie!"

His shocked expression changed into happiness as he leaned down to her, wrapping his big arms around her waist. "Lizzie? What are you doing down here? I thought your family was moving to Virginia."

"We were going to. But I told my parents that I didn't want to move to Virginia, I had to stay here."

"That's amazing Lizzie! But I have to ask," he said giving Gregor a skeptical look. "Who is the young man you brought with you?"

"Ripred you don't recognize him? You've known him longer than you've known me. I mean you did teach him and all." She said, smirking.

Lizzie pulled on his paw to bring him over to Gregor. Every step of the way Ripred was staring intently at Gregor. "Do I know you, young man?" he asked Gregor.

Gregor crossed his arms and looked up at the giant rat with an amused expression. "Really Ripred, I can't believe you haven't recognized a fellow rager by now," he said rolling his eyes.

Ripred's eyes widened. "Gregor?" he asked. Behind him the group of people started whispering again. "Is that really you? You've grown into yourself nicely." He chuckled, nodding in approval.

"Yes Ripred, it is me," he said putting a smile on his face.

All at once, people started to push to the front, so they could place their hand on their savior. But Mareth, Vikus, Howard, and Dulcet all got there first. Mareth, Vikus, and Howard all went to Gregor, while Dulcet went straight to Boots, scooping her up into her arms, who yelled "Dulcie."

"Gregor, my boy, what brings you down here?" Vikus asked after hugs were passed around.

"Temp contacted Boots saying that you guys needed help. So, we raced down here as fast as possible."

"I can't wait to tell Luxa you're here!" Howard exclaimed, starting to leave.

"No, Howard, please don't tell her. When I run into her, I want to see if she can recognize me."

"But, why not just tell her? After you left, she was really upset. She was crying for weeks. Whenever someone would ask her what was wrong, she would say she missed Solovet. But she told Hazard that she really was missing you. She'll be really happy that you're here." Howard said pulling Gregor aside.

"She would be very pleased you are here and well, Gregor." Vikus said, following them.

"I know she would be, and I am too. But let's keep me being here on the down low. Okay?" Gregor told them.

They both agreed and turned to tell the same thing to the crowd. Like Howard and Vikus, the crowd agreed. Dulcet stepped forward holding Boots's hand.

"Temp is actually here in the castle. Would it be alright if I took Boots to him?" she asked him.

"You can, but first we have to have a meeting with the Queen of Regalia," he replied. Taking Boots hand, he started walking into the castle, Lizzie riding on Ripred's back, and the crowd following them.


	5. Chapter 4

_**Previously:**_

" _You can, but first we have to have a meeting with the Queen of Regalia," he replied. Taking Boots hand, he started walking into the castle, Lizzie riding on Ripred's back, and the crowd following them._

 **Disclaimer:**

I own nothing. Suzanne Collins owns everything but the plotline.

 **Chapter 4**

The crowd probably looked conspicuous to someone else, but no one stopped to look. As they kept walking, the group split apart little by little, going off to do their own biding. By the time they got to the High Hall, only Vikus, Howard, Ripred, Dulcet, and Mareth were the only ones with Gregor and his sisters. Gregor reached his free hand to the door and pushed it open.

The High Hall was just as big as he remembered. The balcony was to his right, and windows to his left. The walls were decorated with the greatest care. Vines and ivy traveling up the walls and pillars all around the room. The one thing that had always struck Gregor as odd was the fact that there was no roof. Dulcet had explained this to him years ago. "It is meant to be so. We entertain here often, and many bats can arrive at once," she had told him.

His eyes finally focused on the two people who were standing at the other end of the long table facing Gregor and the small group. There was a young boy and an older girl. The girl was close to Gregor's age, while the boy was closer to Boots'. It took him a little while to recognize the young boy. The boy had the same dark hair and light green eyes, as he did when he was younger. The last time he had seen him was when he was 6 years old, but now the 11-year-old was over a foot and a half taller than when he was six. Hazard.

The tall girl had long silver blond hair that went down to her waist. Her light purple eyes were staring deep into Gregor's eyes, as if she were trying to see deep into his soul. Her glare was just as he remembered, deadly and warning. But as he was used to getting this glare from her, he just looked back at her with comfort. This caused her to look at him with question.

Gregor let go of Boots hand and walked around the table to where Luxa was standing. Once he got to her, he gave her a deep, over-dramatic bow. He stood up and looked her straight in the eye. "Hey Luxa," he said tilting his head to the side, smirking. "I thought I should drop by and say hi."

"It is _Queen_ Luxa to you, Overlander. And how do you know my name?"

"Well, if I had known that you were the Queen, I would have said something cooler." He watched her eyes narrow more as he spoke. "I've known you for so long that calling you Queen Luxa just feels weird to me. I mean we have known each other since we were what? 12, maybe even 11 years old?" He could see recognition, surprise, and confusion all mixed in her eyes.

"Gregor," she whispered his name so quietly that he could barely hear her. "No, it is not possible. He left when I was twelve and has moved to Virginia. It cannot be him," she said, turning away from him slightly, placing her hand on her forehead.

"Do you still have the pictures?" he asked her. "The ones we took before the final battle against the Bane?"

The expression her face changed into disbelief as she looked up at him. "No one knows about those, except for -" She finally turned back to him. Her expression was a mixture of happiness and hope.

"It's me, Luxa. It's Gregor," he told her, with a soft smile. He then said the words he always wanted to say to her, and, unknowingly to him, she always wanted to hear from him. "I'm back, I'm home."

Luxa shrieked with delight, pouncing at Gregor, causing him to stumble out of balance from the weight of her body. Her arms wrapped around his neck and rested her head on the crook of his shoulder. He looked down at her in surprise. He didn't think she would hug him so quickly and easily, much less tackle him.

After a few seconds, he slid his arms around her and rested the side of his cheek on the top of her head. "Oh Gregor," she whispered into his neck. "I did not think you would ever come back at all. Vikus and Ripred said you would come back someday if you could, but I did not think you would."

"I was always going to come back to you, even if it meant to disobey my mom's orders." He whispered back to her, kissing the top of her head. He would stay like this forever. He would stay down in the Underworld, with his arms around her, forever. She smelled like she always did, like the Underland's shampoo and warmth.

But some one behind them cleared their throat. Gregor lifted his head, while Luxa just turned hers, to look at the others. They were all sitting at the table.

Lizzie was sitting with Vikus and Ripred, while Boots was sitting next to Hazard. Lizzie, Vikus, and Howard were deep in conversation about a new Code, while Boots and Hazard were talking about the mice babies that were in the nursery the last time they were here. But Ripred was looking straight at Gregor and Luxa, with a bored look on his face.

"I believe it's time for dinner, don't you two think?" he asked them. Gregor and Luxa reluctantly let go of each other. They looked at each other for long enough to know that they had time to be together later.

"I will let the cook know that we are ready for dinner." Luxa said, already looking happier than before. She turned to go to the door at the end of the High Hall.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Gregor asked, jogging after her.

"If you want to see the kitchen, come along. But if you want to stay with your sisters, I would understand." She said reaching out her hand for his, as if to give him an offering.

He looked back at his sisters, they looked happy and well to him. "They could last a little while without me," he thought. "They've got many to protect them." He turned back to Luxa and took her hand with a smile.

She smiled back at him and took him through the door. "I knew you would want to come with me Gregor. Let us go now to the kitchen."


	6. Author's Note

**A/N**

I want to apologize for not posting in a while. I want to keep the information given through the original books as accurate as possible, so I've been waiting to get my copies of the books back. I promise to you guys that this will not be the ending to this story. I don't know when I'll be publishing another chapter to this story. But in the meantime, I'm going to try to start a new story or two. Whether they're Harry Potter or Supernatural, I don't know yet. Thank you to everyone for the amazing comments that you have all wrote, I wasn't expecting this much praise on my story.

Once again, I'm sorry.

HAA5O


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